New Delhi, March 01 (ANI): Bollywood item girl Rakhi Sawant, on Saturday claimed that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will be next prime minister of India. Rakhi , who visited BJP office in Delhi, said that she will campaign for Modi and saffaron party in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. She also added that she is BJP’s daughter.Mar 1, 2014

Ghaziabad, Mar 1 (ANI): Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday launched his three-day yatra in Uttar Pradesh. Kejriwal kicked off a roadshow from AAPoffice in Kaushambi in Ghaziabad as part of his 500 km yatra. He was accompanied by fellow party members Manish Shishodia and Sanjay Singh. The road show, "Jhadu chalao beimaan bhagao yatra", which began from Kaushambi would end in KanpurMar 1, 2014

Patna, Mar 1 (ANI): Apparently alarmed by the BJP-LJP tie-up, pressure is building up on the Congress in Bihar for firming up its alliance for Lok Sabha polls. Speaking on the same, RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav said that his party has offered 11 seats to Congress and is now waiting for response.Mar 1, 2014

New Delhi, March 01 (ANI): DMK Chief M Karunanidhi showered praises over the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, a sign that may hint towards a pre-poll alliance between the two parties. Karunanidhi described Modi as a "hard worker" and a "good friend." DMK chief’s remark has created ripples in an already animated political scene. It is the political season to influence people and win friends, and the BJP is currently winning more than its Congress rival.Mar 1, 2014

New Delhi, Mar 1 (ANI): Former Army chief General VK Singh will officially join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday. Speaking on the same, BJP leader Capt Abhimanyu Singh said that several army generals and soldiers are coming together to fight for the nation. Meanwhile, JD (U) Leader Ali Anwar said that it must be in the mind of Singh to come into politics since a long time. Further, SP leader Naresh Agarwal said that army generals and bureaucrats must stay away from politics for at least for 10 years after retirement.Mar 1, 2014

Kolkata, March 01 (ANI): FIFA officials visited the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata to inspect the venue for the under-17 Football World Cup. In a press conference in Kolkata, FIFA delegation chief, Inaki Alvarez, said the purpose of the team’s visit was to carefully survey the facilities to be provided to the players. Expressing his satisfaction with the Salt Lake Stadium, he further said that the stadium has all the space required. The visit to the Salt Lake Stadium makes it the eighth venue in India inspected by a FIFA team so far. The team has so far visited stadiums in the Indian cities of New Delhi, Pune, Goa, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kochi and Guwahati.Mar 1, 2014

Guwahati, March 01 (ANI): Political leaders and activists welcomed the move by central government to constitute an expert committee to examine the demand for a separate Bodoland state from Assam, days after the Parliament passed the bill for the creation of a new Telangana state. The one-man expert committee was set up on Thursday, which would submit its report in nine months after consulting every section of the society on the creation and validity of Bodoland. The move was welcomed by the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief, Hagrama Mohilary who said that a similar process was followed in the creation of Telangana state.Mar 1, 2014

New Delhi, March 01 (ANI): Union Rural Development Minister, Jairam Ramesh, announced in New Delhi that the central government will improve the already existing welfare schemes and launch new programmes to benefit people living in tribal areas.
Ramesh announced a number of measures while addressing a news conference. The most important announcement was the provision of 150 days of guaranteed employment to people living in tribal areas, as part of the government’s flagship welfare scheme, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The minister said the improved scheme will benefit thousands of tribal people at a small cost to the government expenditure.Mar 1, 2014

New Delhi, March 01 (ANI): The main opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party challenged the ruling Congress party to have an open debate on the contours of Narendra Modi’s economic vision; a day after BJP’s prime ministerial candidate put forth his views for revival of the country's sagging economy. BJP Spokesperson Prakash Javadekar took a dig at Congress for being "silent" after Modi came out with his economic agenda and took pot shots at the ruling party saying it seems a snake has stunned them. Outlining his vision for Indian economy, Modi had said in a meeting that India's family-owned traders must learn to work with large modern shops and online retailers. Speaking over praises from DMK chief M Karunanidhi, whose comments on Modi’s economic vision had sparked speculations about a possible alliance between BJP and DMK, Javadekar said that he would welcome comments from all the political parties including Congress.Mar 1, 2014

New Delhi, Mar 1 (ANI): Railway Minister Malikarjun Kharge, while presenting the interim railway budget in the Lok Sabha on February 12th, announced the commencement of railway service in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya in this financial year. He also announced the conversion of the Rangiya to Murkongselek meter gauge line in Assam into broad gauge within this financial year. The Dudhnoi to Mehendipathar railway line in Meghalaya will be complete by March this year.Mar 1, 2014

The White House on Friday reinforced US warnings to Russia that an intervention in Ukraine would be "a grave mistake" and that it must avoid "miscalculations" in its military drills along the border. Duration: 00:58Mar 1, 2014